InterAcademy Partnership

The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) is a worldwide network through which merit-based academies of science, engineering and medicine collaborate on issues of international importance. It brings together more than 140 national and regional academy members and uses their collective expertise to provide independent, evidence-based advice to governments, international organizations, educators and the wider public. Unlike a commercial brand, IAP is best understood as an international scientific network and advisory platform whose principal outputs are consensus statements, assessment reports, recommendations, capacity-building activities and opportunities for science diplomacy. The organization originated in 1993 as the InterAcademy Panel, initially focusing on cooperation among science academies and on the contribution of scientific knowledge to global policy. During the 2000s, the network broadened its institutional architecture. In 2000 it helped establish the InterAcademy Council, which developed assessments for international policy audiences, and the InterAcademy Medical Panel, which concentrated on health and biomedical issues. These related networks operated alongside one another for many years and produced policy work on subjects such as climate change, sustainability, public health, science education, biosecurity, food security and research capacity. In 2016, the three networks were reorganized under the InterAcademy Partnership. The resulting structure contains three principal pillars: IAP for Science, formerly the InterAcademy Panel; IAP for Health, formerly the InterAcademy Medical Panel; and IAP for Policy, formerly the InterAcademy Council. This arrangement allows the partnership to combine disciplinary expertise while preserving focused governance for scientific, medical and policy work. Its agenda is closely connected to global sustainable development, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. IAP's work generally takes two forms. Reports and recommendations are prepared by expert groups, subjected to peer review and issued for the benefit of the international scientific and policy communities. They are intended to reflect the analysis of an expert committee rather than an automatic endorsement by every member academy. Statements, by contrast, are collective positions developed through a defined review and approval process and released after endorsement by a substantial majority of participating academies. They have addressed population growth, urbanization, climate change, biodiversity, ocean acidification, evolution education, human cloning, scientific information access, medical products, dementia, trauma, regenerative medicine and other topics with broad social implications. The partnership also supports capacity building, especially strengthening academies and research systems in low- and middle-income countries. Its governance is designed to balance geographic and economic diversity. The General Assembly is the highest decision-making body and normally meets every three years. Each member academy has one vote on organizational matters, including leadership elections, membership, activity reports and strategic planning. Between assemblies, three pillar-level executive committees or boards guide operations, assisted by a secretariat hosted by a member academy. A coordinating board made up of the pillar co-chairs provides overall direction, with co-presidents selected from among its members. IAP has also contributed to science diplomacy by connecting academy networks from Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Its policy role became particularly visible in the review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change process conducted through the InterAcademy Council in 2010. The review recommended improvements including stronger treatment of uncertainty and changes to governance and review arrangements. IAP remains an active international forum for mobilizing academy expertise on questions where scientific evidence is central to public decision-making.

The InterAcademy Partnership traces its origins to the creation of the InterAcademy Panel in 1993. The original network was designed to enable national academies to cooperate internationally and to bring authoritative scientific perspectives to major public questions. Its early agenda included population growth, sustainable development, urbanization, science education and the relationship between scientific expertise and public policy. In 2000, two related institutions were created to expand the network's scope. The InterAcademy Council developed expert assessments and policy advice for international organizations, while the InterAcademy Medical Panel focused on health and biomedical challenges. These organizations operated as complementary networks: the original IAP concentrated on broad scientific cooperation, IAC on policy-facing assessments, and IAMP on medicine and public health. During the 2000s and early 2010s, the networks produced statements and reports on subjects including sustainable energy, African agriculture, research capacity, access to scientific information, biosecurity, climate change, ocean acidification, evolution education, human cloning and population and consumption. Their statements were intended to express a broad academy consensus rather than the personal views of individual scientists. The process generally involved expert drafting, review and endorsement by participating academies. The InterAcademy Council gained particular visibility in 2010 when it reviewed the procedures and governance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Its recommendations included stronger treatment of uncertainty and possible changes to executive oversight and review arrangements. The review helped influence subsequent discussions about how large international scientific assessments should communicate evidence, uncertainty and risk. In 2016, the three related networks were consolidated as the InterAcademy Partnership. The new structure retained specialized pillars: IAP for Science, IAP for Health and IAP for Policy. The reorganization created a common platform for academy cooperation while maintaining separate committees or boards for each area. The partnership also formalized a stronger emphasis on inclusion, geographic balance and participation by academies from low- and middle-income countries. IAP's current activities include global statements, expert reports, science communication, education, policy advice and academy capacity building. It works through member academies and regional networks in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Its work has increasingly addressed the Sustainable Development Goals and cross-cutting issues such as climate and biodiversity, food and nutrition security, medical product quality, disaster risk reduction, research reproducibility, dementia and regenerative medicine. Governance is exercised by a triennial General Assembly, pillar-level executive committees or boards and an overarching board of pillar co-chairs. The organization remains a non-commercial international scientific network rather than a conventional operating company.

• 2022

  Health in the Climate Emergency report released

  [2]InterAcademy Partnership official websiteinteracademies.org

  IAP published a global assessment of the health consequences of climate change and the need for coordinated policy responses.

• 2016

  InterAcademy Partnership launched

  [1]InterAcademy Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  The InterAcademy Panel, InterAcademy Council and InterAcademy Medical Panel were unified as IAP for Science, IAP for Policy and IAP for Health.

• 2015

  Scientific input connected to the Sustainable Development Goals

  [2]InterAcademy Partnership official websiteinteracademies.org

  The network issued work emphasizing the role of academies and science advice in implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• 2010

  InterAcademy Council reviews IPCC procedures

  [1]InterAcademy Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  The council's review addressed governance, uncertainty and risk communication in the IPCC assessment process.

• 2000

  InterAcademy Council and InterAcademy Medical Panel created

  [1]InterAcademy Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  Two related networks were established to extend the partnership's work into international policy assessment and health.

• 1994

  Population-growth statement ratified

  [1]InterAcademy Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  Member academies endorsed an early statement linking population expansion with food production, environmental pressures, health care and equal opportunity for women.

• 1993

  InterAcademy Panel founded

  [1]InterAcademy Partnershipen.wikipedia.org

  The organization began as the InterAcademy Panel, creating a global framework for cooperation among national and regional science academies.

An independent, evidence-based global network that mobilizes the collective authority and expertise of national and regional academies to inform policy, strengthen scientific capacity and advance sustainable development.

• Scientific academy network · 2016

  IAP for Science

  The science pillar coordinates academy collaboration on broad scientific and technological issues. Its work includes global statements, expert reports, education initiatives, science communication and capacity development. Topics have included climate change, biodiversity, disaster risk reduction, sustainable energy, evolution education, biosecurity and access to scientific information. It serves as a mechanism for translating the expertise of member academies into internationally relevant advice.

• Health academy network · 2016

  IAP for Health

  IAP for Health is the successor to the InterAcademy Medical Panel and focuses on global health, medicine and biomedical research. Its outputs have addressed maternal and child health, climate-related health benefits, research capacity, reproducibility, dementia, trauma, falsified medical products and regenerative medicine. The pillar draws on national and regional medical academies to develop evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and health stakeholders.

• Policy advisory network · 2016

  IAP for Policy

  IAP for Policy, formerly the InterAcademy Council, organizes policy-facing assessments and advice based on academy expertise. It connects scientific analysis with international decision-making on sustainable development, climate, food and nutrition security, urbanization and other global challenges. Its predecessor was also responsible for the 2010 review of the IPCC process, which examined governance and the communication of uncertainty.

• Consensus statements · 1993

  Global academy statements

  IAP statements present positions developed through expert preparation, review and endorsement by member academies. They are intended to represent a broad scientific consensus on issues of public importance. Past statements have covered population growth, cities, sustainability, human cloning, evolution, biosecurity, ocean acidification, climate and biodiversity, marine environments, regenerative medicine and substandard medical products.

• 2015Science and the Sustainable Development Goals

  Global

  IAP promoted the role of academy-based scientific advice in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and in improving the scientific basis of global policymaking.

  Outcome. The initiative reinforced the partnership's position as a channel between the international academy community and global policy institutions.

  Source
• 2003Science education, information and capacity-building statements

  Global

  IAP coordinated academy statements addressing children's science education, access to scientific information, science and the media, and the development of scientific capacity.

  Outcome. The statements established recurring themes in IAP's work: strengthening public understanding, improving evidence access and expanding research capability.

  Source

• 2016

  Consolidation of the three inter-academy networksM&A

  Background

  The InterAcademy Panel, InterAcademy Council and InterAcademy Medical Panel had developed overlapping but distinct international roles.

  Action taken

  The networks were reorganized into one partnership with three pillars: IAP for Science, IAP for Health and IAP for Policy.

  Aftermath

  The unified structure gave the academy network a common identity while retaining specialized governance for science, health and policy.

  Source

• 2010

  Recommendations on reforming the IPCC assessment processStrategy

  Background

  The InterAcademy Council reviewed the procedures and governance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

  Action taken

  The review recommended stronger treatment of uncertainty and considered changes to executive oversight, including possible participation by people outside the IPCC or climate-science community.

  Aftermath

  Subsequent IPCC practice placed greater emphasis on uncertainty and incorporated risk-management considerations into assessment work.

  Source

1. 1InterAcademy Partnershipen.wikipedia.org
2. 2InterAcademy Partnership official websiteinteracademies.org